Male Pattern Boldness is proud to be the world's most popular men's sewing blog!

Apr 23, 2013

Readers, I've never asked you this, but do you ever have feelings about the state of my sofa? Just wondering.
As you may know, I had a birthday on Sunday -- fifty-one years, which is only middle-aged if you're living to a hundred and two -- so it seemed only right that I should finally get myself some age-appropriate accessories: reading glasses.

I'm the only one in my family who has never needed glasses. But I've noticed lately that, particularly after an intense period of sewing, my eyes feel tired. Even threading a needle with a needle threader can be hard. I also sometimes have trouble reading menus in dark restaurants, and the ingredients list on the back of candy bars.

I hate bringing up the topic of glasses again so soon after my Warby Parker experience which, by the way, ended in my returning all the demo sunglass frames and choosing none of them. (You may think that's where the story ends -- oh, no! I found another online glasses store with similar funky retro hipster frames and...well, you'll find out more in the days ahead.)

Anyway, yesterday I finally picked up a pair of "readers" at my local Ricky's, a popular beauty supply store chain here in NYC, where one can purchase not only shampoo and conditioner, but also colossal drag queen eyelashes and hot pink wigs. Anyway, they have a very stylish selection of reading glasses at good prices. The pair I got is by A.J. Morgan and cost just $14.99, which is lower than many of the fuddy-duddy frames at CVS and Rite Aid.

They simply provide a little magnification (strength is 1.00) when my eyes are tired. They're not going to be seen in public much but I wanted something cute. Not bad, right?

The upside of getting older is all the new accessories you get to buy: glasses, then canes, then shower stools and toilet seat raisers!

In other news, thank you for checking out my linen pants/butter shirt outfit over at Mood yesterday. If you'd like to see the whole photo shoot -- including more "West Side Story" moves -- you can here. A big thank you to Michael for his photo shoot contributions, which I know he always finds incredibly stressful due to my barking orders at him throughout the entire shoot.

And that, friends, is all for today.

In closing, if you wear glasses, do you think they improve your looks as they add an interesting feature to your face, or do you prefer the way you look without them?

It's funny how you really don't start noticing people's glasses until you need to purchase some yourself...

40 comments:

I think these are adorable on you! Wear them out! And I def think I look better in glasses. Or maybe I just look smarter in glasses. Since I've needed them since I was 13, and I cannot wear contacts, I choose to believe I look better in glasses.

Love your glasses! And I'm a little jealous that you've JUST started wearing them - I've needed them since I was 40. And A.J. Morgan is my preferred brand: cute styles, inexpensive yet not cheap-feeling.

Dear Peter, A Happy Belated Birthday, or a very Merry UnBirthday to You ! Once again you pull off the talent of choosing the "perfect" look. I never was gifted with that. I can be seen many times with a redacted face and wearing a don't do in giant D's ! That's why I'm glad you were born, you live life so well. Doing, the seemingly difficult, effortlessly. Very Dapper,looking frames ! Ironically enough, I have an eye exam tonight, I going with contacts so I can't screw up , Lol.Best,Elise

Happy late birthday! You look good in glasses! I'm dreading the day I'll need glasses to read since very few styles look good on me (most glasses make me look way older or just like a schoolteacher). I hope I have my mother's genes when it comes to eyes, but my father has been wearing his glasses since he was 25 and I already have his early greys :(

I've worn specs since I was 4 and I suspect I'll always wear specs because my contacts (which I wear occasionally for swimming/exercise) aren't powerful enough. Apparently they don't make contact lenses the thickness of the bottoms of milk bottles, who knew?

I've always secretly envied people who look good in glasses since I do not. That's why I refused to wear them, got contacts in middle school and laser eye surgery in college. So far I've done a good job of being in blissful denial about readers being a part of my future. I do like how you look in yours. My mom has had good lucky finding not so old lady pairs at the Seattle Opera gift shop of all places.

Happy Birthday, Peter. The glasses look good on you; quirky but cool. As to your sofa...I have to confess to sometimes being intrigued: has someone been sleeping on it? It doesn't LOOK like it'd be very comfy as a bed (but maybe it is IRL).

Have worn glasses since I was 8; would bump into things without them. Have never considered them an advantage, or a "fashion accessory." (Boys don't make passes...ever hear that one?) Accessories should be fun and it's not much of a fashion statement if you have to wear them continuously, out of necessity.

Ironically, since the age of 45, I have had to take my glasses OFF to read tiny print or sew tiny stitches. A lighted magnifying lens on a stand is now on my wish list!

I have worn glasses for 50 years, so I feel like they are part of me. I prefer the rimless kind that disappear so that I don't see the frame from my side. The ones you are wearing are quite flattering. I haven't seen you in a bad look. Could you do that sometime for us? It might help my ego! As to your sofa, I find its ever-shifting topography amusing and a great backdrop for your photos. It's very real. I like it.

Peter, Happy Birthday. Those glasses are very 'you'. I started wearing glasses when I was 10-blue cat eye glasses. I don't know that I look good either with or without them. But I need them if I want to see. In my 40's I had to make the move to bifocals and for close work like hand sewing I see better without them.

I find your couch an interesting collection of ever changing stuff. And I always look for the doggies.

Peter: Your sofa looks very much like every piece of furniture I own. We must have the same decorator! Who would have known!

But you are just showing off. You look wonderful in those glasses. Every pair I've ever had simply looked like some metal and glass hanging on my face. Yours add personality and a little character. I am so jealous. -Babe.

Happy Birthday, Peter!(I thought you were about thirty eight)...just remember, when you get plastic surgery, all you have to do is buy new frames, and everyone will think THAT's what's different!(grin)

Count your blessings, Peter, I've worn glasses since I was 6 mo. old. Wore contacts briefly as a high school graduation gift from my parents. Just couldn't keep it up, and now my doc says I can't wear contacts. I don't think I'm a good candidate for that surgery, either.

I too prefer rimless frames, as I have found that the frames can get in the way of seeing things. And I keep my glasses clean, clean, clean!

Enjoy the reading glasses - while you can - bwah-ha-ha-ha! I have to spend a fortune on varifocals just to walk around like a normal person, and then still have to remove them to read fine print. Mr RTS spends a fortune on bi-focals and then has to add a pair of cheap reading glasses over them to read fine print! He also has prescription glasses just for reading and using the computer. I think we currently have ten pairs of not-cheap glasses around the flat and car, plus a couple of pairs of cheap reading glasses and one of us still often has to ask the other to read something.

Mr RTS didn't need glasses until he was about 40 and now he needs reading glasses that make him look like Mr Magoo (and I laugh every time I see him in them - it never gets old :))

I like your messy sofa. It makes the slightly OCD side of me cringe a little, but also makes me jealous that other people can live with messy but I can't.

I fluctuate between glasses and contact lenses. But if I go for a really long time wearing just one or the other, I start thinking my face looks weird when I change!I'm jealous that you can get glasses for so little! My prescription is so strong that my lenses don't fit in my optometrists el-cheapo frames anymore. :-(

I keep getting the urge to clean your whole apartment. I am a compulsive picker-upper and your beautiful linen outfits need surroundings that go with such style. However, luckily, I am three thousand miles away.

i got my first pair of glasses when i was 7 and was sooo happy to switch to contacts in 5th grade! but now at 30-ish i tend to prefer glasses just to hide the dark circles. re: couch... admittedly, i've wondered why you don't clear the couch before snapping pics. not that my house is immaculate, i just shovel everything out of frame!

Am I allowed to say that it's nice to see you showing your age? I've been wearing glasses since I was 24 (omg - I just realised that's about half my life now!) - initially it was just for distance vision (eg at the movies, or driving) but even then, when I was going for a job interview, I'd wear them because I thought it made me look more intelligent. (Seemed to work too, didn't have any problems getting jobs!) Now I wear them all the time, and have prescription lenses in my Rayban Wayfarers - which are getting on a bit and I've been told they may not last another prescription replacement. If anyone knows where I can get a replacement set of them I'd appreciate the information! They're pink and purple marble effect, from about 25 years ago or so.

51 huh? The fun starts later. The "upside" of reaching 65 is that you get your mailbox filled with advertising for scooters, hearing aids, and those gadgets that you wear and push the button if you fall and can't get up. I am wondering at what birthday one begins to receive ads for buriel plots?!? BTW Peter, are you sure that Warby Parker does not make a selection of sizes in each style? Rayban does. Not just for fit at the earlobes, but for appearance. I have three pairs of Rayban aviators and was able to choose the width of the lenses, even with the adjustable wire frames that eliminate most fitting issues.

Belated congrats on your birthday. You chose the right glasses, I'd say. Very balanced.

I have five pairs of reading glasses in strategic places all over the house, plus two pairs of clip-on magnifiers for fine embroidery. Reaching for glasses or taking them off when I get up from a chair is totally second nature, ;-).Occasionally I wish I could buy nicer frames, but money is tight. So if it comes to choosing between frames or fabrics, the fabrics always win.

your readers are awesome and enhance your look, actually! So cute!! Also---the ingredients on candy bars do not really require reading---just enjoy. And the couch---yeah---it's bad. But chacun a son gout, non?

I like the glasses. I have worn glasses since I was 16. They're part of my face. Sometimes I wish I didn't wear glasses because it seems like I have to clean them every half hour but I don't look like me without them. Oh, and thank goodness for no-line bifocals so no one knows I need old lady glasses.

I've been wearing glasses since I was about 9 and always hated how the frames would get all bright in photos. I switched to dark frames a few years ago and I feel so much better with them! Glasses now seem to be cool? However, I still wish I could go without them. For some reason I just feel more confident sans glasses.

a boy, a dream, and 10+ sewing machines

I'm a native New Yorker and sewing fanatic! I started sewing in 2009 and today make all my own clothes using vintage sewing machines and vintage patterns, in addition to sewing for private clients. Welcome to the warm and whimsical world of Male Pattern Boldness, where the conversation is sewing, style, fashion, fabric, and more!